MyFrenchFilmFestival unveils its programme

09/01/2019 - 13 features and 14 short films will be screened on 50 platforms around the world as part of the 9th online festival organised by UniFrance from 18 January-18 February

Sauvage by Camille Vidal-Naquet

In the wake of its successful record over the past three years, with a peak of more than 12 million views in 200 territories in 2018, MyFrenchFilmFestival – the event organised online by UniFrance – unveiled the programme of its 9th edition today, which is due to run from 18 January-18 February. According to Serge Toubiana, the president of UniFrance, accompanied by the company’s general manager, Isabelle Giordano, the aim of the gathering is "to broaden audiences and the influence of French films all over the world, as well as to reach young audiences via platforms." The festival will involve the participation of 50 VoD partner platforms (including iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, MUBI, Filmin, etc) with 11 subtitling languages (including Chinese). The president stressed that the event can sometimes represent a real second chance for some films to accumulate more views than admissions in France, as was the case for Ava[+see also: film reviewtrailerinterview: Léa Mysiusfilm profile] and Willy 1er[+see also: film reviewtrailerfilm profile] last year.

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Nine French features and one Belgian feature will compete in the 2019 selection, which will be available directly on the MyFrenchFilmFestival website or via partner platforms at €1.99 per film or €7.99 for the pack, with the festival remaining totally free of charge in Africa, Latin America, India, South Korea, Poland, Romania and Russia.

Awarding the filmmaker's jury prize this year (worth €15,000) are Houda Benyamina, Coralie Fargeat, Mikhael Hers, Kim Nguyen and Jaco Van Dormael, while two other prizes will be awarded by the audience and an international press jury. The most notable films in the running are three titles screened at Cannes, including two unveiled in the Critics' Week: Sauvage[+see also: film reviewtrailerinterview: Camille Vidal-Naquetfilm profile] by Camille Vidal-Naquet (winner of the Best Actor Award at Cannes for FelixMaritaud's performance, who was also nominated for a Lumières Award in 2019 for Most Promising Performance, while the film itself was nominated for the Best First Film Award) and Guy[+see also: trailerfilm profile] by Alex Lutz (nominated for a Lumières Award in 2019 for Best Film and Best Actor). The third feature screened at Cannes is Angel Face[+see also: film reviewtrailerfilm profile] by Vanessa Filho, which was presented in the Un Certain Regard section.

In addition to the ten short films in competition (which can be watched for free), the programme includes two very attractive heritage films screened out of competition (LaJetée by Chris Marker and Bad Blood by Leos Carax), two Canadian titles (including Les Faux Tatouages by Pascal Plante), three short films and the first two episodes of season one of the hit series The Bureau. Lastly, MyFrenchFilmFestival will also be accompanied by a number of in-cinema sessions organised by the Institut Français's international network.

(Translated from French)

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